Measuring orientation to population-based prevention.

Background: Assessing orientation to population-based preventive alternatives is useful in the evaluation of preventive medicine curricula.

Methods: An instrument was developed using hypothetical situations describing a health issue that could be encountered by a primary care physician. Options to be selected were in three categories: (1) treatment, (2) clinical prevention, or (3) population-based prevention.

Evaluation of a preventive medicine curriculum: incorporating a case-based approach.

Background: Evaluating the acquisition of skills in prevention is an increasing priority in prevention education. Assessment instruments were developed to measure student skills before and after an education intervention at State University of New York (SUNY)-Upstate Medical University.

Methods: The evaluation method used three testing instruments that measure preventive medicine skills.

Case-based teaching in preventive medicine: rationale, development, and implementation.

The importance of prevention teaching is increasingly recognized in medical education, but its implementation in medical school curricula is hampered by its cross-specialty nature, lack of curricular time, and perception as a topic of less importance than the traditional basic and clinical sciences. The Case-Based Series in Population-Oriented Prevention (C-POP) was developed to address national objectives for prevention education in a format that recognizes the students' abilities and preferences for case-based learning. This series uses small-group discussion cases that can be adapted to a variety of settings and instructor capabilities.

Multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 1 and MRP3 attenuate cytotoxic and transactivating effects of the cyclopentenone prostaglandin, 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)prostaglandin J2 in MCF7 breast cancer cells.

One of the most potent cyclopentenone prostaglandins, 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)prostaglandin J(2) (15-d-PGJ(2)), has been shown to be cytotoxic in some tumor cells and, as a ligand of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), to influence the transcriptional regulation of several genes. We examined whether a glutathione conjugate of 15-d-PGJ(2), 15-d-PGJ(2)-SG, is formed and if the glutathione conjugate efflux pumps, MRP1 and MRP3, could transport this conjugate, thereby attenuating the cytotoxicity and transactivating activity of 15-d-PGJ(2) in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Formation of 15-d-PGJ(2)-SG was demonstrated both in vitro and in cells, and its structure was determined by ESI/MS and NMR.

Radical vaginal trachelectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for preservation of fertility in early cervical carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine our experience with radical vaginal trachelectomy in women with early cervical cancers who desire to maintain fertility.

Methods: Women who underwent radical vaginal trachelectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy over a 6-year period are the basis of this report. Subjects were selected for this treatment on the basis of favorable cervical tumors and a desire to maintain fertility.

Exposure to soil contaminated with an environmental PCB/PCDD/PCDF mixture modulates ultraviolet radiation-induced non-melanoma skin carcinogenesis in the Crl:SKH1-hrBR hairless mouse.

Chlorinated aromatic contaminants are active in carcinogenic processes within the skin and may have the potential to modulate ultraviolet radiation (UV)-induced skin carcinogenesis. Exposure to a complex environmental PCB/PCDD/PCDF mixture (polychlorinated biphenyls/polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans) during the irradiation phase of photocarcinogenesis was associated with significant (P < or = 0.001) reductions in papilloma incidence and squamous cell carcinoma multiplicity at irradiated skin sites.

Influence of prenatal cocaine exposure on early language development: longitudinal findings from four months to three years of age.

The influence of prenatal cocaine exposure on children's language functioning was evaluated longitudinally at six time points from 4 months to 3 years of age. The Miami Prenatal Cocaine Study prospectively enrolled 476 full-term African-American infants at birth, categorized as cocaine-exposed (n = 253) or non-cocaine-exposed (n = 223) by maternal self-report and bioassays (maternal/infant urine, meconium). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, scored using the Kent Scoring Adaptation for language, was administered at 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months.

Ultraviolet radiation enhances both the nodular and ulcerative forms of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in a Crl:IAF(HA)-hrBR hairless guinea pig model of Buruli ulcer disease.

Background: Ultraviolet radiation (UV) pre-exposure enhances intracellular mycobacterial infections, however, its effect upon the pathogenesis of the extracellular Mycobacterium ulcerans parasite had not been previously examined. The hypothesis tested was that UV pre-exposure enhances both the nodular and ulcerative forms of M. ulcerans infection in the Crl:IAF(HA)-hrBR hairless guinea pig.

Modeling the metabolic competency of glutathione S-transferases using genetically modified cell lines.

Certain chemopreventive agents are thought to work in part via induction of GST expression. We have utilized transgenic cell lines to show that GST expression can protect against DNA alkylation, and in some cases cytotoxicity caused by electrophilic carcinogens conjugated by GSTs (e.g.

Maternal cocaine use: estimated effects on mother-child play interactions in the preschool period.

The study objective was to evaluate the quality of parent-child interactions in preschool-aged children exposed prenatally to cocaine. African-American mothers and their full-term newborns (n = 343) were enrolled prospectively at birth and classified as either prenatally cocaine-exposed (n = 157) or non-cocaine-exposed (n = 186) on the basis of maternal self-report and bioassays. Follow-up evaluations at 3 years of age (mean age, 40 mo) included a videotaped dyadic play session and maternal interviews to assess ongoing drug use and maternal psychological distress.

The behavior of anxious parents: examining mechanisms of transmission of anxiety from parent to child.

Examined the behavior of anxious parents in interactions with their children (ages 6 to 12 years) to test hypotheses about possible psychosocial mechanisms of transmission of anxiety from parent to child. Fifty-one parent-child dyads completed the study. Parents and children were assessed with structured interviews and participated in 2 tasks that were videotaped and coded.

Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites as a measure of adrenal activity in dairy cattle.

The feasibility of monitoring acute adrenal activity in New Zealand dairy cattle by measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites was investigated. Fecal glucocorticoid measurement has potential as an indicator of adrenal activity and animal stress because sampling is relatively noninvasive, does not interfere with the stress response itself, and permits on-farm monitoring. Fecal samples were collected from dairy cattle following ACTH challenge and exposure to stressors (novel environment, transport).

Longitudinal influence of prenatal cocaine exposure on child language functioning.

The present study estimates the longitudinal effects of in utero cocaine exposure on language functioning at 3, 5 and 7 years of age in an urban sample of 443 full-term children (236 cocaine-exposed and 207 noncocaine-exposed) participating in the Miami Prenatal Cocaine Study. The sample was enrolled prospectively at birth, with documentation of prenatal drug exposure status through maternal interview and urine and meconium toxicology assays. Language functioning was measured at ages 3 and 5 years using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool (CELF-P) and at age 7 years using the Core Language Domain of the NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment.

Behavioral outcome of preschoolers exposed prenatally to cocaine: role of maternal behavioral health.

Objective: To examine the impact of prenatal cocaine exposure and maternal behavioral health (recent drug use and psychological functioning) on child behavior at age 5 years.

Method: In this longitudinal investigation, maternal report of child behavior was assessed using the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 140 cocaine-exposed and 181 noncocaine-exposed (61 alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana-exposed, and 120 nondrug-exposed) low-income, African American children. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate suspected causal relationships between indicators of maternal behavioral health at 5-year follow-up, according to self-report on a modified Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and CBCL scores.

Assessment of response to clinical hypnosis: development of the Hypnotic State Assessment Questionnaire.

This study describes the development and preliminary psychometric properties of a scale for measuring hypnotic response in clinical hypnosis sessions. The Hypnotic State Assessment Questionnaire (HSAQ), a brief, multidimensional measure of hypnotic response during clinical sessions of hypnosis, is intended to facilitate supervision of hypnosis trainees and to document subjects' response in clinical hypnosis sessions. Results indicate that most HSAQ subscales have good interrater and internal consistency reliability.

Kinetochore localisation and phosphorylation of the mitotic checkpoint components Bub1 and BubR1 are differentially regulated by spindle events in human cells.

BUB1 is a budding yeast gene required to ensure that progression through mitosis is coupled to correct spindle assembly. Two related human protein kinases, Bub1 and BubR1, both localise to kinetochores during mitosis, suggesting that they play a role in delaying anaphase until all chromosomes achieve correct, bipolar attachment to the spindle. However, how the activities of Bub1 and BubR1 are regulated by spindle events and how their activities regulate downstream cell cycle events is not known.

Longitudinal investigation of task persistence and sustained attention in children with prenatal cocaine exposure.

The present study estimates the longitudinal effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on indicators of sustained attention processing at 3, 5 and 7 years of age in an urban sample of full-term African-American children (235 cocaine-exposed, 207 noncocaine-exposed). The sample was enrolled prospectively at birth, with documentation of prenatal drug exposure status through maternal interview, urine and meconium toxicology assays. Sustained attention was measured at age 3 years using a standardized measure of task persistence during a challenging task [G.

Influence of prenatal cocaine exposure on full-term infant neurobehavioral functioning.

This study investigated infant neurobehavioral functioning during the newborn period in 334 full-term, African American neonates (187 cocaine exposed, 147 non-cocaine exposed) enrolled prospectively at birth, with documentation of drug exposure status through maternal interview and urine and meconium toxicology assays. Infants were assessed using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS) during the newborn period (0-6 postnatal days). Findings from multivariate profile analyses support a consistent, modest effect of prenatal cocaine exposure on neurobehavioral functioning in full-term neonates.

Intrauterine growth of full-term infants: impact of prenatal cocaine exposure.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to estimate the effect of prenatal cocaine exposure on fetal growth and gestational age after controlling for exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana and other covariates; to evaluate whether prenatal cocaine exposure has a disproportionate adverse effect on head circumference compared with overall somatic growth; and to assess whether the effect of prenatal cocaine exposure on fetal growth is mediated by cocaine's suspected effect on gestational age.

Methods: The study population includes 476 neonates participating in the Miami Prenatal Cocaine Study, a longitudinal follow-up of in utero cocaine exposure. The sample, restricted to full-term neonates born to African-American inner-city mothers, included 253 infants exposed prenatally to cocaine (with or without alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana exposure) and 223 non-cocaine-exposed infants, of whom 147 were drug-free and 76 were exposed to varying combinations of alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana.

RNA replicons derived from poliovirus are directly oncolytic for human tumor cells of diverse origins.

The failure and/or toxicity of conventional therapies for many types of human cancers underscore the need for development of safe and effective alternative treatments. Toward this goal, we describe the direct oncolytic activity of RNA-based vectors derived from poliovirus, termed replicons, which are genetically incapable of producing infectious virus. These replicons are cytopathic in vitro for human tumor cells originating from brain, breast, lung, ovary, and skin (melanoma).

Simulated solar UVB exposure inhibits transcutaneous immunization to cholera toxin via an irradiated skin site in cattle.

Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) is a new needle-free vaccination technology with the potential to reduce the risk of needle-borne disease transmission and carcass damage within the livestock industries. The principal antigen-presenting cell involved in TCI is thought to be the epidermal Langerhans cell. Langerhans cell function is inhibited by cutaneous ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) exposure.

Repetitive intrathecal injections of poliovirus replicons result in gene expression in neurons of the central nervous system without pathogenesis.

Poliovirus-based vectors (replicons) can be used for gene delivery to motor neurons of the CNS. In the current study, a replicon encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) was encapsidated into authentic poliovirions, using established procedures. Intrathecal delivery of encapsidated replicons encoding GFP to the CNS of mice transgenic for the human poliovirus receptor did not result in any functional deficits as judged by behavioral testing.

Resistance to mitoxantrone in multidrug-resistant MCF7 breast cancer cells: evaluation of mitoxantrone transport and the role of multidrug resistance protein family proteins.

We examined the role of multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 1 (ABCC1) in the emergence of mitoxantrone (MX) cross-resistance in a MCF7 breast cancer cell line selected for resistance to etoposide. The resistant cell line, MCF7/VP, expresses high levels of MRP1, whereas the parental cell line, MCF7/WT, does not. MCF7/VP cells are 6-10-fold cross-resistant to MX when compared with MCF7/WT cells.

Identification of critical elements in the tRNA acceptor stem and T(Psi)C loop necessary for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infectivity.

A mutant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with a primer binding site (PBS) complementary to yeast tRNA(Phe) (psHIV-Phe), which relies on exogenous yeast tRNA(Phe) as reverse transcription primer, was used to investigate elements in the tRNA acceptor stem and T(Psi)C stem-loop required for the tRNA primer selection and use in HIV-1 replication. tRNA(Phe) mutants with two- or four-nucleotide deletions in the 3' end retained the capacity to complement replication of psHIV-Phe. tRNA(Phe) mutants with an extended 5' end had reduced capacity for complementation, which could be restored by extension of the 3' end of these tRNA(Phe) mutants with sequences complementary to the HIV-1 U5 region.